Member Story: CPS came, then the police.
One evening, Eric and Ashley Mackenzie* were getting ready to put their three children to bed when they unexpectedly heard a knock on the door. Eric answered the door, and was shocked at what he heard.
“I’m from the Department of Social Services, and we’ve received a report of neglect of your children.”
The CPS investigator went on to say that the allegations claimed their children were not being properly educated and that they were missing meals.
Eric remembered the instructions that Heritage Defense had given them in their membership packet, so he told the investigator, “One moment while I get my attorney on the phone.”
He stepped back inside and told Ashley, “It’s a social worker.”
Ashley quickly grabbed her phone and, heart pounding, called the Heritage Defense emergency hotline. She explained the situation and was promptly connected with an attorney. Attempting to further familiarize himself with the situation, the attorney asked if they had any idea who might have reported them. Ashley said she suspected her mother-in-law, who had been vocal about disagreements with their family.
When the Heritage Defense attorney got on the phone with the social worker, she told him that she wanted to interview the children and the parents separately. He responded that she could lay eyes on the children, but he was not going to advise the family to agree to any interviews without a local attorney present. At that point, the social worker became angry and called her supervisor, who threatened to call the police to do a wellness check. Following the advice of the Heritage Defense attorney, Eric and Ashley stood firm in denying the interviews.
Once the police arrived, the Heritage Defense attorney informed the officers that the family was not consenting to interviews of their children, but the family would allow them to step inside briefly to see there was plenty of food and that everything looked fine. Afterwards, Eric and Ashley also explained that the other allegations were completely false. Satisfied, the police told the social worker they were done there and they all left.
Eric and Ashley went back inside and sat down as their adrenaline slowly subsided. Still on the phone, the Heritage Defense attorney explained what was going to happen next. He said the next morning he would call and assign an attorney in their area to the case, who would be paid for by Heritage Defense.
The next morning, Heritage Defense called the local attorney and filled him in on the details. The local attorney immediately sent a notice of representation and the applicable rules of representation to the CPS investigator.
For a couple of months, the Mackenzie family tensely waited, yet heard nothing from CPS.
Then, around three months after that nightmarish evening, the Mackenzies received a case-closing letter from CPS.
Eric and Ashley poured out their heartfelt thanks to Heritage Defense for standing by their side the entire way:
“Heritage Defense was a godsend when a DSS worker came to our door with very serious false accusations from a disgruntled family member. [The Heritage Defense attorney] was there for us when we desperately needed his help. While on the phone, he walked us through the entire process with the case worker. A very scary and seriously traumatizing event for our entire family was handled with such professionalism and guidance. Also, the [local] attorney appointed to our case helped us out every step of the way and gave us comfort and affirmation that our situation would be resolved; he prepared us for the worst but with humor. He managed things very well. Without him, we would have been in lots of trouble. Having a fellow Christian attorney stand beside you, praying for you and working on your behalf, is an absolute answer to prayer. I would highly recommend Heritage Defense to any Christian family. You guys are all famous at our church now. We will continue to be members, for sure. Especially in today’s world, where Christianity is more and more hated by the secular world, we look forward to sharing our positive experience with other believers.”
If you are a member of Heritage Defense, we hope it is an encouragement for you to know that your membership is going to help families like the Mackenzie’s. While we cannot guarantee outcomes, if your family is ever falsely accused of child abuse or neglect, we are ready to fight to defend you and your rights.
If you are not yet a member, please join today to have 24/7 access to experienced attorneys ready to defend your family.
*Names changed for privacy